[RPS328ix]

Well, I've found the first blemish with my brand new 328i -- it is a small (maybe a quarter of an inch) crack on the wood trim on the driver's side door handle. The crack is along the left most side of the handle, along the edge of the wood trim, and it runs perpendicular to the handle itself. It is barely noticeable, but I'm worried that the crack will spread and get longer. Should I be worried about this? Is there anything that can be applied to try to keep the crack from spreading?

Thanks for your thoughts.

[///M235i]

Originally Posted by henryrumpole

Well, I've found the first blemish with my brand new 328i -- it is a small (maybe a quarter of an inch) crack on the wood trim on the driver's side door handle. The crack is along the left most side of the handle, along the edge of the wood trim, and it runs perpendicular to the handle itself. It is barely noticeable, but I'm worried that the crack will spread and get longer. Should I be worried about this? Is there anything that can be applied to try to keep the crack from spreading?

Thanks for your thoughts.

That entire wood insert needs to be replaced. Inadvertently the interior of my car was damaged by a reckless tow truck driver. And I learned, via the body shop experience, these would inserts are very easily replaced. They order it as a part, they Snapit out, they Snapit in. I'm sure there's a little more to it so don't try it yourself. My point is this is obviously not wearing tear it is a warranty issue, a defective part. Get it replaced under warranty. It is not nitpicking. The wood trim they replaced in my car had scratches in it and was not even cracked. Now in your original post you wrote 328, was it a 328 or a 228?

[///M235i]

Originally Posted by henryrumpole

Well, I've found the first blemish with my brand new 328i -- it is a small (maybe a quarter of an inch) crack on the wood trim on the driver's side door handle. The crack is along the left most side of the handle, along the edge of the wood trim, and it runs perpendicular to the handle itself. It is barely noticeable, but I'm worried that the crack will spread and get longer. Should I be worried about this? Is there anything that can be applied to try to keep the crack from spreading?

Thanks for your thoughts.

My next comment, I'm used to seeing the wood inserts on the door along the length of the doors as opposed to embedded within the actual handle. I was actually wondering how well the wood embedded in the handle would actually hold up…… Do you think the crack developed from use or do you think the crack was there and you had now noticed it? i've actually seen a post on this blog where some were concerned about the weight of the door versus the placement of the handle. My three series has the handle somewhat near the middle of the door which would evenly distribute the force, I want to say this 2 series has the handle closer to the front edge of the door... Meaning the weight distribution from the force of using the handle would be uneven across the entire weight of the door. What are your thoughts, do you think that might be a factor?

[RPS328ix]

Thanks MmmTwo. I've only had the car for a week, so I'm pretty sure it was there all long and I just noticed it. I've obviously been very delicate with the car, so I don't think one week of delicate use would have caused the crack.

I'll bring it up with the dealer. If it is easy to replace, then I won't feel so picky. I could live with the crack as it is, but I just don't want it to get bigger, which I think is probably likely.

My car is a 328i -- not sure how I ended up in this forum, but I think your advice is good all the same! The wood trim is just on the handle of the door (near the window controls), where you would grab to open or close. You're right that it seems likely to have a lot of wear and tear over time because of where it is placed.